Court rules on immigration, tax cases

This morning the U.S. Supreme Court issued two decisions and granted three more cases for review next term.

In Dada v. Mukasey, the Court ruled that under the Immigration and Nationality Act, aliens who overstay their visas must be permitted an opportunity to withdraw a motion for voluntary departure, provided they make the request before expiration of the departure period.

In Florida Dept. of Revenue v. Piccadilly Cafeterias, the Court held that the bankruptcy code prohibition on stamp taxes on assets transferred to a new owner applies only when such asset transfer happens after a court-approved bankruptcy order, not before.

That brings the total number of cases the Court has left to decide before next week to 15. Those cases include decisions on the constitutionality of Washington D.C.’s gun ban, whether the confrontation clause precludes previous statements made by the victim in murder trials, whether the death penalty can be instituted in child rape cases, and whether the fishermen impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill can collect a punitive damages award under maritime law.

In addition to the decisions, the Court agreed to consider cases next term dealing with sovereign immunity for state prison workers, when civil actions can be brought against high-ranking federal officials, and benefits claims under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. SCOTUSBlog has more.